1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for the implementation of a space telescope. Particularly, the present invention relates to apparatus and methods for high resolution surveillance telescopes that operate from space.
2. Description of the Related Art
Since the discovery of optics and the invention of the telescope there has been a desire to create novel designs and techniques to enable the viewing of objects at greater distances and in greater detail. One fundamental principle of telescope design is that if a device captures and focuses more light, it can be used to see fainter objects. Thus, all powerful telescopes incorporate large apertures and lenses to capture as much light as possible. Further, the resolution of all space telescopes is inversely proportional to the aperture. Thus, very large apertures are needed to see small objects or fine detail.
Space based telescopes have been previously used for both astronomical and Earth observations. Respecting astronomical observation, space based telescopes have an obvious advantage over any terrestrial telescope as they are unhindered by the distorting effects of the Earth's atmosphere. Space based telescopes have also been used for Earth observation for both scientific as well as surveillance missions. In this case, the distortion is not eliminated, as the space based telescope now peers back through the atmosphere at the Earth, but is greatly reduced because the telescope itself is outside the Earth's atmosphere. Space-based telescopes have the advantage of seeing large areas of the Earth, but are limited in their ability to see small objects or fine detail because of the large distance. The only way to overcome this is to build a telescope with a very large aperture.
As a consequence of the cost and difficulty of delivering objects to Earth orbit, there is a significant constraint on the size and mass of all space-based devices. In addition, large lightweight structures do not have the rigidity needed for precision optical telescopes and vibrations from any source are transmitted to all of the optical components.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for telescope designs which allow very large optical systems to be launched and which mitigate the adverse effects of lightweight structural elements. The present invention meets these needs.